The presence of Hall of Famer Peyton Manning at Texas's Week 4 matchup against Tennessee has felt like a virtual guarantee over the last few months.
His nephew Arch is the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, and he himself was the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers back in his college days.
However, despite forsaking his loyalty to the Vols, Manning is set to cheer on his nephew and the Horns this Saturday, and that includes a day-long appearance in Knoxville.
Of course, even with Manning openly cheering against his alma mater, many Texas fans wanted his outward support of the Horns. Well, they just got an opportunity to see exactly that.
On Friday, ESPN's College GameDay announced that the elder Manning would be part of the show on Saturday morning, participating in Pat McAfee's "Kicking Is Easy" Contest, not as the kicker (somewhat obviously) but as the celebrity guest on the segment.
Peyton Manning to be on College GameDay ahead of Texas-Tennessee
While Manning may be in burnt orange during the game on Saturday, don't be surprised if he's repping a little Tennessee orange on the morning show.
McAfee's kicking contest almost always features a student of the home team, so on Saturday, one could expect a current Tennessee student to be the participant, pulling on Manning's heartstrings to root for the success of his college team.
However, as Manning himself has expressed over the last year or so, he will undoubtedly put family over football, pulling for his nephew over the very team he played for less than three decades ago.
Of course, Manning wasn't tapped as the celebrity guest picker for the week, with ESPN choosing MTV producer and actor Johnny Knoxville for the gig over a slew of legendary Volunteers.
Just like any given week on ESPN's College GameDay, there could be an extensive list of celebrity appearances and opinions on Saturday morning, with Manning and Knoxville only being the start of the roster.
The show kicks off Saturdays in the college football season at 8 a.m. CT, running until 11 a.m. CT, when the first games of the weekend begin (including Texas's top-15 matchup against Tennessee).
While many Texas fans were worried that Manning could have some of his own family rooting against him, they should have faith that blood is thicker than ball(?), and the Mannings will be out in full force to support their latest college football superstar.
The No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT, and the game will air on ABC.
Add us as a preferred source on Google